The Outcast
by wild-imagination6695
Summary: Aerrow's the most popular boy in school but what happens when a mysterious girl shows up and crazy things start happening wherever she goes, and why can't he seem to get her off his mind? - Completely AU
1. Prologue

It was a normal day at Greenborough High when a young girl of what looked to be no more than sixteen years of age stopped at the base of the schools steps.  
The stairway entrance was deserted as the school day had already started. The only sound was that of the leaves being blown by the wind, a sharp contrast to the chaos that would ensue once the bell rang again.

The girl stood there staring up at the school, knowing she was already late for her first day but stood there, trying in vain, to delay the inevitable. The wind blew through her waist length hair, scattering the strands into the air. She closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

When she opened them a determined gleam could be seen.

Without a further thought she walked up the stairs and towards her future. Her tense shoulders and straight back sure signs to anyone who cared to notice that she'd rather be running away from it.

When she reached the oak doors in place within the massive arched doorway she pushed a door open with one of her hands while the other clutched at the strap of her shoulder bag in an apparent death grip, her whitened knuckles were proof of that.

As she passed under the doorway she mumbled under her breath. "Please don't let it be the same as last time."


	2. Chapter 1

**Okay so it gets a bit confusing from here. I kept Aerrow and Piper's name the same but tweaked a few of the others in order to make the story seem more realistic. So here's who's who;**

**Junko - James**

**Stork - Seth**

**Thoughts are in **_italics_

**Now on with the story =)**

"Hey Aerrow! You seen the new girl?"

I looked up to see bright blonde hair and cobalt blue eyes alarmingly close to my face, as it turns out it was my best friend Finn. Finn took his seat at the table along with our other friends James, Seth and Starling who were already sitting around our lunch table. "No…." I drawled, "Should I have?"

"Dude! It's the talk of the school! The new chick's freaky as!"  
I rolled my eyes; it was always Finn's specialty to over react. Seeing me do this, Finn scowled, knowing what I was thinking from experience. "I'm not over reacting!"

Suddenly his eyes snapped up to look at something at the other end of the lawn, behind my head. "Look! There she is now!" He raised his hand and pointed in what I could only guess was her direction. I turned around to look at the girl that had gotten Finn so worked up '_I've never seen Finn so agitated over a girl before, I mean what could possibly-'_.

I froze. My mind came to a complete stop. Coming out of the canteen was a girl with waist length hair that was so black, it looked blue, she was tall, slim but the most surprising thing was that she had the complexion of Cadbury chocolate.

"Is that why everyone is freaking out, because of her skin colour?" I asked Finn without taking my eyes off of her. Not many people with a dark skin complexion went to our school, or even lived in our area so it was a surprise to see someone like her.

"No, wait till you see her eyes."

I turned to look at Finn but when he met my gaze he simply nodded in her direction so I turned back around and watched her as she made her way onto the grass. She walked towards a more secluded part of the lawn and settled herself in the shade of a tree. As if sensing someone was watching her, she turned to look at me and our eyes locked. I gasped.

Her eyes were an impossible shade of orange. _'What the… That's not possible!'_

Seeing my shock she ducked her head causing her hair to fall forward, effectively covering most of her face and started to eat her lunch.  
"I know right, whenever she makes eye contact with someone they freak out."  
I turned to look at Finn with I imagine shock written all over my face.  
"Surely their contacts?"  
Finn shook his head. "Na-ah, I thought that too but when I had History with her in third lesson the teacher asked her to take them off and she said she didn't wear any contacts."

I looked over in her direction again. "What's her name?"

"Piper." This time Starling answered.

I noticed how people walking past her now gave a wide berth space.  
"She seems lonely." I commented.

All eyes on the table snapped to me, Seth raised an eyebrow, "Well hardly anyone has talked to her since she arrived. A few people tried but she either just stared at them or ignored them till they went away."

"Maybe you should talk to her Aerrow, with you being our resident freak and all- I'm sure you'd get along great!" I knew Finn was joking; I was one of the most popular boys in school but still, when people meet me for the first time they usually are shocked by my stunningly red, spiky hair and emerald green eyes. I stopped thinking to realise I was once again staring at Piper. _'She looks like she could use a friend… Wait why do I care? I don't know her! Anyway from what Seth said, sounds like she doesn't want any anyway'_

"Uh-oh, here comes trouble." James said, pulling me from my train of thought. I glanced around to see what was wrong and just like James said trouble was heading our way, a whole lot of trouble. The entire cheerleading squad was crossing the lawn with Veronica leading the pack. Veronica was the head cheerleader and with no other way of nicely wording it, a complete bitch. She was always asking to go out with me and I was always turning her down. Finn was shocked when I first told him this, he thinks Veronica's hot as, but I'm not into girls that belittle and bully others for fun.

I noticed the direction she and her lackeys were heading in and my eyes widened- they were heading straight for Piper.

Only when they stopped right in front of her did Piper acknowledge their presence by raising her head.

"So you're the freak everyone's talking about." Veronica sneered. I ground my teeth together, for some reason I had a sudden urge to go over there and defend Piper. '_Whoa where did that come from?'_

I managed to keep my emotions in check and push my feeling of protectiveness aside.  
It didn't seem to matter though, Piper just put her head back down and continued eating. Veronica took another step closer and gripped her food tray in front of her, the others followed suit. "You really shouldn't ignore me, that would be a big mistake."  
Piper glanced up, "I really should, talking to you seems like a bigger one."

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "What did you just say to me?"  
I couldn't help but feel sorry for Piper, it was her first day and she was already a target for the schools number one bully.

I watched Veronica insult Piper for a few more minutes before I had enough.  
"I'm going over there."  
"Aerrow-wait!" Starling said as she tried to hold me back but I slipped out of her grasp and stormed over towards where Piper was sitting.

When I reached the tree I said in the calmest voice I could muster "Alright Veronica, why don't you leave Piper alone. I'm sure you've got better things to do." Everyone's attention snapped up to me including Piper's who was now staring at me incredulously with her impossibly colored eyes.

"Aerrow, what a nice surprise." Veronica flashed her best smile at me. "I didn't know you were friends with the new girl."  
I coolly turned my gaze towards Veronica, "Well now you do, so why don't you run along?"

Veronica's smile turned cold. "But we were having so much fun. It's not everyday that a freak like her comes along. I heard she was an orphan, her parents died in a mysterious accident or something." I turned to look at Piper and was alarmed to see her knuckles turning white as she fisted her hands.

"Apparently she lives with her older brother. That's all we need another Cadbury like her. He must be a major loser if he lives with his little sister."

***BOOM!***

'_No way…'  
_I couldn't believe it; all of the cheerleader's food had just exploded in their faces. I looked at Piper to see her unharmed but staring at her hands which were shaking with suppressed emotion. I reached out to place a hand on her shoulder but seeing me do this she flinched away from my touch, before I could open my mouth to reassure her she quickly scrambled to her feet, grabbed her bag and took off at a run.

I stood there for a moment watching Veronica scrape some pasta from her eyes before I turned and ran after her.


	3. Chapter 2

It had been a week since the incident with Veronica. I had managed to chase Piper as far as the carpark but amongst the sea of cars I had lost sight of her.

A few other strange things have happened since then; exploding lights, a flooded bathroom, haywire drinking fountains, doors & lockers spontaneously slamming shut.  
But like the exploding food everyone managed to brush it off, after all the school was old so by logical reasoning, prone to drafts and faults, besides everyone knew the food they serve in the canteen should have exploded a long time ago.

We were currently sitting outside in the carpark, waiting for school to start. The weather had been so nice this morning I had opted to walk to school rather then ride my motorbike.

Since nothing could separate Finn from his bike, except for maybe a girl, his ride was parked around the side of the school. Starling had decided to walk as well, most likely to gather her thoughts before she stepped through the school gates.

It was fortunate James and Seth had driven to school though, as we were now lounging on the hoods of James 4WD and Seth's jeep, talking about nothing in particular. I had joined in at first before becoming lost in my thoughts.  
I couldn't help but think there was something more to these accidents, I couldn't seem to brush them off like everyone else.  
Piper had stayed low and gone unnoticed for the most part over the last week, the only time I saw her was in class and whenever we had a study line or break she would seem to disappear.

'_Damn it!' _Once again my thoughts had led me to thinking about Piper. I had never thought about a girl so much before in my life. I mean sure she was beautiful, even with her unusual eyes, they only enhanced her beauty. She was also so mysterious but somehow I knew neither of those reasons were why I was thinking about her so.

"Hey buddy! You still with us?"  
I turned my head to see everyone looking at me. "Uhh yeah, sorry Finn. You were saying?"  
He rolled his eyes "Never mind that, you've been spacing out all week, are you sure you're okay?"  
"I'm fine guys." I flashed them my most reassuring smile. I felt a hand on my shoulder. "We're worried about you Aerrow." Starling said with a frown.

_'Gee I must be spacing out more then I thought for even Starling to be worried'  
_"It's just been a bit hectic at the gym, there's a tournament coming up soon, Blister and Burner want me to enter on behalf of the gym but I'm not sure I'm up for it."  
James spat out his drink, unfortunately it landed on Seth "EWWW! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY VIRUSES CAN BE TRANSFERRED THROUGH SALIVA!"

James ignored him. "You can't be serious Aerrow! You're the best at Sky Fu in the state! And probably the country! Why wouldn't you enter?"

I shrugged "Well I'm still thinking about it, can we please just drop it?"  
I felt bad for not telling them the real reason but technically it was the truth, the tournament had been on my mind lately whenever Piper wasn't and I just knew they wouldn't understand my fixation on a girl I barely talked to once, after all, I barely did.  
"Okay Aerrow whatever you say." And with that James turned around to apologize to Seth since he was still grumbling in the background.

Finn suddenly sat up straight. "New girl! 3 o'clock!"

My head snapped to the right, and sure enough there Piper was walking towards us through the car park. She was pulling out some books from her satchel and not looking where she was going, absorbed in her task.

I saw her heading for the exposed boot of a car sticking out onto the road but before I could do anything to warn her she collided with it and both she and her books went sprawling.

She quickly pushed her self to her knees and started to pick up her scattered books. I heard people laughing and looked behind me to see a group of kids pointing and laughing at Piper.

'_Jerks! How would they feel if it was them people were laughing at?'_

Apparently Starling had the same line of thought. "Hey douche bags! Why don't you find something useful to do instead giggle and snort over stuff that doesn't concern you!"

I didn't turn around to see their reactions, after all I had been on the other end of Starlings lectures one time to many. I pushed myself off of the car and walked towards Piper who was still picking up her books.

I kneeled down beside her and started to help her pick them up.

We continued in silence for about a minute until all the books were in our hands. Piper rose to her feet, so I quickly stood as well.

"Here." I handed her the books and she gently took them from my hands.

"Thank you."

It was the first time I had heard her speak. Her voice was gentle and soft and sounded like music, I let it wash over me and felt a big smile spread across my face. I probably looked like an idiot.  
I shook my head "Uhh yeah. No worries, happy to help."  
_'What the hell? Happy to help? I am such an idiot'_

I watched as she tried to avoid my gaze and noticed her lips seemed to be set in a firm straight line, for some reason I wanted to see her smile and be the one responsible for it.

"I should thank you for last week as well, you didn't have to do what you did, so…Thank you…Again."  
I smiled again, something I couldn't seem to stop doing. "Your welcome."

I realized she was about to walk away but I didn't want our conversation to end. "I'm Aerrow." I quickly spat out.  
"I know." She replied, ducking her head.  
"Oh.. Of course you do. It's just that the only time we've ever met, you were being snarled at by an air-headed groupie. Not the fondest of memories I'm guessing?"  
The corner of her mouth quirked up. "Not really, no."  
"So how bout a formal introduction?"  
Her eyes met mine for the first time during our whole conversation, "Okay."

I held out my hand "Aerrow Lightclaw."  
She placed her hand in mine and it took all my effort not to display a physical reaction to the strange sensation my hand was feeling. "Piper Crysola."  
I shook her hand "Well it's very nice to meet you Piper Crysola." And this time when I smiled she smiled back.

I looked down at our hands and almost let out a gasp, my expression must have changed though because she quickly dropped my hand. I looked up to her face but she didn't looked shocked or confused only wary.  
_'I must be losing my mind'  
_For a minute there I could have sworn our hands were glowing.

To distract myself from thinking about my questionable sanity I decided to try and show Piper I wasn't as weird as I'm sure I seemed right now.  
"Well I hope you know not everyone at Greenborough High is as bad as Veronica, in fact if you ever have any questions just come ask me."

She looked relieved after I spoke, which I didn't really understand. "Thanks but I survived my first week, I'm sure I'll be fine."  
From anyone else that would have sounded a bit offensive but from her it sounded as if she was reassuring me.

I glimpsed something falling from her satchel and quickly bent down to retrieve it. I examined it as it lay in my palm, it was a perfectly intact stargazer lily. I glanced up to see Piper's eyes darting between me and the flower.

"Here, it fell out of your bag."  
I gently grabbed her right hand and turned it face upwards and then placed to the lily in her palm.  
I felt her gaze on me during the whole exchange, when I looked up she rewarded me with a small smile and in that moment I felt a warm feeling shoot through my whole body.

"Well isn't this sweet?" Our heads snapped in the direction that all too familiar voice sounded from.

I tried to keep my face emotionless in order to not encourage her. "What do you want Veronica?"

"Why nothing Aerrow I just was watching and was wondering why it was taking you so long to pick up some books?"

A frown formed on my face but before I could say anything Piper beat me to it. "I don't know why you're so concerned about my books, I would have thought there'd be more interesting things to catch your attention."  
Veronica's eyes narrowed "Be careful what you say bookworm."  
"I prefer being a bookworm to someone who doesn't look like they've read a book in their life."

I knew now was the time to intervene. "Okay well now that you've exchanged pleasantries, I think its time to walk away Veronica."  
Veronica's gaze snapped to mine, seemingly shocked I would stand by and let Piper insult her.

Veronica turned back to face Piper and glared at her murderously. "You are so pathetic you know that, tripping over in order to gain male attention, just how many guys were you planning to reel in with that technique? You're disgusting you weird eyed freak."

***FWOOOSH***

Car alarms were going off all around us and peoples schoolwork was flying everywhere, the crowd which I hadn't notice form around us quickly scattered after their notes and assignments.

That wind had come up out of no where and I quickly glanced at Piper to see if she was okay only to see her wide eyed and clutching her books to her chest. She must have felt my gaze because she glanced up at me.  
"Are you alright?" I asked. She opened her mouth to answer but the bell rang out shrilly, cutting her off.

She quickly glanced around before locking her eyes with mine, I was transfixed with her sunset irises and almost missed what she said.

"I need to go, I don't want to be late…. It was nice to meet you Aerrow but it's best you leave me alone." With that she turned around and strode towards the building doors.

"wait…" I whispered, only to lose sight of her in the crowd swarming towards the school entrance.


	4. Chapter 3

**Okay just clarifying a few things: Yes that was Blister and Burner from the Third-Degree Burners, they own the gym together. Cyclonis and the Dark Ace will be the villains in this story and will be appearing soon. How Piper's causing the accidents will be explained but patience is needed - can't blow the big secret too soon :) **

**I also went back and rewrote the previous chapters to rid them of any grammatical errors, I also changed Fabian's name back to Finn as I could not picture him right with a different name.  
And yes Aerrow's last name was a reference to the Lightning Claw and Piper's to her fascination with Crystals. ;)**

**This chapter will show a bit more about Aerrow's background and Radarr finally appears- YAY!**

**I do not own the Storm Hawks, if I did there would be a lot more Piper and Aerrow moments :p**

**oOoOo**

"I mean come on Aerrow! Way to show a guy up?" Finn pouted.

From a seat to the right of me Starling voiced "It's called chivalry Finn, maybe you should try it some time."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means!"

As soon as had I walked into class Finn pounced on me demanding to know why I had gone over to help Piper and what had happened. I could not escape his questioning due to his designated seat being directly in front of mine and with him straddling the back of his chair so that I had no option but to look him in the face.

Unfortunately he came to the conclusion that I was trying to 'win all the ladies attention' as he called it by being charming and helpful. The reason why he's now in such a sour mood. I couldn't help that by not rebuffing other girls as harshly that I do of Veronica, that they take it as encouragement… I don't even like being rude to Veronica. It's just she's the most persistent of the lot and I really couldn't stand her.

Luckily Starling had come to my rescue. Unluckily we were now experiencing another Finn vs Starling throwdown. I then realized two members of our group had yet too join the argument …Ahem… conversation, to the right of Finn and in front of Starling sat Seth but he usually remained silent throughout class, unless Finn poked or annoyed him enough (Finn's favourite hobby during class) to set him off.

To the left of me sat James who unlike Seth, usually would have made a few comments by now in hopes to try and calm the two hotheads down a bit.

"Hey buddy you okay?" I whispered.

"Huh?" He raised his head to look at me and I saw his eyes coming back into focus. "Sorry Aerrow I was just thinking."  
"What were you thinking about?"  
He shifted as if uncomfortable with my sudden interest. "Nothing.. Just… Nothing."

"Hey," I placed my hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me."  
He gazed around to make sure no one was listening in, though I doubt that anyone could hear us over the screaming match next to us. "I was just thinking how weird it was, is all."  
"How weird what was?"

He leaned closer to me and lowered his voice. "That wind this morning, it came up out of no where."  
I raised my eyebrows, that was not what I was expecting. "It was definitely strange." I agreed.  
"It's just like all those other accidents though, the bathroom, the drinking fountain, the lights…"

"What is it James?"  
"I never noticed it before but whenever something weird has happened, Piper's been there. And then this morning….I mean I know there's a reasonable explanation for the accidents and I know it sounds crazy but…."  
"Yeah?"  
"I mean it looked like the wind came from Piper."

I stared at him and took in his features like his short chestnut hair and stormy grey eyes. A lot of people misjudge James. With his big build, strong arms and tanned complexion, it's easy to assume he's just your average jock; spoiled, vain and has a high opinion of himself.

It couldn't be further from the truth, James is the most sensitive person I've ever met. And he'd much rather work and get his hands dirty in his family's garage then go out for any kind of sport. It was in fact the garage, why he was so built; being a mechanic required a lot of heavy lifting. He didn't work-out or take steroids like a lot of people said behind his back- His family had really high expectations of him and expected him to take over the family business when he was ready which was why he worked so hard to prove himself.

But more than that he was a loyal friend, and whilst he may not be the sharpest knife in the kitchen he saw things in a way no one else did. And his quiet and gentle nature led to him making rather remarkable observations- And I think now was one of those times.

'_But that was impossible… wasn't it?'_

**oOoOo**

After my conversation with James I had a lot to think about. The teacher had come in after James had told me about what he thought he saw, quieting down Starling and Finn and stopping me from questioning him further.

After class we talked some more and James told me how he thought he must have just been sitting at a strange angle and that he was mistaken and went on to reassure me that he was fine and not to worry about his lapse in sanity as he called it. After that he seemed much happier and back to himself having got rid of his uncertainty.

I was currently switching some of my books at my locker and pondering how James had done a 180 since this morning, however I knew how he hated to think bad of anyone so I could see how during class he had come to the conclusion that what he thought he saw, was in fact impossible and that thinking Piper was causing the accidents, was almost as bad as the insults Veronica was constantly throwing at her. And yet I couldn't help but wonder..

"Hey Aerrow!" I paused whilst reaching for a book. I turned to see who was talking to me.  
"Oh hey Dove." Dove was a pretty girl who was in the year above me, she was tall, slim and had dark raven hair. She looked a lot like Starling I noticed, except Starling preferred to dye her hair an electric purple, for reasons I cannot comprehend.  
She ducked her head and peered up from beneath her eyelashes, I think she was trying to look demure. "I was just wondering if you're doing anything tomorrow night."

'_Oh no… is she trying to ask me out?'_

"Thursday I have training at the gym."  
"Oh.." She lowered her head not trying to hide her disappointment. "Well maybe another day then, if you want there's a new movie on down at the cinema, we could go together."

"Like a date?"  
Her eyes brightened "Yeah."

"Look Dove I'm sorry.." I spotted something behind her, Finn was at his locker but had his eyes glued to us. Oh god- I really didn't need this right now. Finn had liked Dove since 8th grade, so it was no wonder he was scowling at the scene before him like he wanted to come over here and kick my ass.

But he wasn't the only one watching us.

Piper was at her locker across the lawn but she too was looking at me and Dove intently.

I shook my head and realized I still hadn't finished my sentence. I focused back on Dove to see her eagerly waiting for my answer.  
"I'm sorry but I can't Dove, I gotta go." I quickly slammed my locker door shut and brushed past her and headed straight for Piper.

Seeing me heading her way she quickly focused her attention back on her locker and started to sort her books. I stopped walking when I was about a metre away and leaned against the lockers. "Hey."  
She quickly glanced at me "Hey."

I sighed "You know this morning was about me not you, Veronica just doesn't like it when I talk to other girls."  
"Why? Did you two go out or something?"  
I raised my eyebrow. "No, It would be a cold day in hell before I ever consented to go out with someone like her, she just has it in her mind that she and she alone is good enough for me…"  
"Ahh, your typical most popular girl and most popular guy makes a dream couple stereotype. Am I right?"  
"Unfortunately."

I watched her pull down some more books from her locker shelf and closely examine each one like they were old friends.  
"Did you mean what you said this morning?" I asked.  
She paused. "You don't want to be friends with me Aerrow."  
"Isn't that for me too decide?"

She remained quiet and refused to look at me.  
"There's something about you Piper.."  
Now that got a reaction. Her head snapped in my direction, her eyes narrowed as if scrutinizing me.  
Realizing her mistake she quickly resumed her task of sorting her books and avoiding eye contact.  
"Well what if I don't want to be friends with you?"  
"I find that hard to believe."  
She raised an eyebrow and glanced at me from the corner of her eye. "Bit vain don't you reckon?"  
"I know you're different… But you don't seem like a person who wants to shut people out… So why ignore people? Why distance yourself?"  
She looked down. "Everyone has secrets."  
"Maybe I'd like to know yours."  
She shut her locker door and turned to face me. "And that's exactly why we can't be friends- They're secrets for a reason."

**oOoOo**

I couldn't help but reflect on the conversations I'd had today; the one with James I pushed to the back of my mind, along with all the possibilities that came with it, after all James had asked me to give it no further thought.

The one with Piper only made me more uncertain, she had walked away after she insinuated that I was being nosy, which have to admit I was being, just a little. She was just so hard to talk to, one minute she was this open and friendly person, the next she was reserved and distant. Yet for the life of me, I could not find it in me to leave well enough alone.

I pulled my motorbike up into the garage and cut the engine. I had gone for a ride after school in order to clear my mind and feel the wind on my face- there's no better feeling in the world.  
I sat there for a second just gathering my thoughts before I dismounted and headed for the front door. I got my keys out and unlocked the door, as I stepped through the threshold I yelled "Hello! Anyone home?"

A long string of barks and the thud of paws was my answer. I smiled and shut the door, I quickly turned around in time to see a huge bundle of black and silver fur barreling towards me.  
"Hey buddy!" I kneeled down on the ground and patted his head "How you been huh?" He butted me with his head a few times before rolling onto his back and whining. "Want a belly rub boy?" He barked in response, I laughed and started to give him a good old rub.

Radarr was my best friend in the whole world, most people would just label their dog a pet but not me, Radarr was much more then that. I found him when I was 6 years old, he was just a puppy on the streets starving and close to death, he didn't like me much at first but after I fed him and cared for him he became almost like a brother to me. It made sense since he seemed to be a Rottweiler; which are aggressive to outsiders, loyal towards loved ones.

"Aerrow! Will you stop spoiling that dog!"  
I looked up. "Can't help it, he's been cooped up all day."  
"Can you come help me with these groceries Mr. Greets dog first before his beloved Aunty?"  
I laughed. "Sorry Aunt Morgane, I did call out."

She popped her head out into the hallway. "Are you calling me deaf?"  
"I'd think one-track minded is a more appropriate assumption."  
She narrowed her brown eyes playfully "I prefer the term focused thank you very much." And with a swish of her red hair walked back into the kitchen.  
Chuckling under my breath I followed her with Radarr dancing around my legs.  
I walked into the kitchen and immediately started helping her unload the bags. Morgane was my father's sister and the best guardian in the whole world, she didn't try to take my parents place but she did everything she could to look after me and make sure I was happy all these years.

"Oh and Suzi-Lu called to ask if you'd come down to the animal shelter soon."  
"Okay, I'll probably drop by Friday after school." All the greens I'd unpacked were starting to form a hillside _'Gee, do we really need this much food!?'_

"You should take him for a walk." Aunt Morgane said while gesturing at Radarr. I picked up the pile vegetables and started putting them in the fridge.  
"Another health kick, really?" I said whilst holding out my arms full of vegetables. She smiled and proceeded to ignore me.

I looked back at Radarr who was running around the kitchen like crazy. "He looks like he needs it." I agreed.  
"You look like you do too." I looked back at her to see her staring at me appraisingly. "Rough day at school?"  
"Something like that." I mumbled.  
She laughed. "Then don't let me stop you- go on! Scat!" she said whilst waving her hands dramatically through the air.  
"But what about-"  
"Never mind the shopping, I can handle the last few bags! Now shoo!" She was by this stage literally pushing me toward the front door.

"Okay! Okay!" I laughed and slapped her hands away "I'm going! Geez already trying to kick me out." I smiled, to which she smirked in response. I grabbed the lead and yelled "You coming Radarr?" He barked and came running down the hallway and before my Aunt could push me again, I had Radarr on lead, out the door and down the street.

"Woah boy! Slow down!" Radarr was usually energetic, but this was ridiculous. I looked across the road, at the forest that bordered the town. I shrugged my shoulders, might as well let him go for a run in there, it would save my arms from being pulled out of their sockets.  
"Come on- this way."

After we got past the first tree's I unhooked Radarr's leash and watched him go running off. I walked at my own pace for awhile and took in my surroundings. I hadn't been for a walk through here for a few weeks but there was something different…. Everything appeared more… Alive somehow. The tree's were greener, the flowers bigger, the birds more happy.

It was then I realized I hadn't heard or seen Radarr for some time.  
I whistled…. Nothing. I called his name… still nothing. Now I was getting worried, Radarr always answered me.

I broke into a run. "RADARR- WHERE ARE YOU!" I thought I heard a bark to my right in the distance, I took off in that direction "COME HERE BOY!" I followed his barks until I found him jumping around beside some dense bushes.

"What are you doing! You gave me a heart attack disappearing like that!" Radarr whined in response and nudged his nose against my leg. I sighed "It's okay- just don't scare me like that again." He snorted. "I'll take that as an agreement." I chuckled. Radarr then bounded over to the bushes and looked at me and then back at the bushes, as if trying to tell me something. "What is it boy?" He woofed in response and then disappeared through the bushes.

"Okay then.." I started to push my way through the bushes but it was easier to get through then it looked from the outside and all of a sudden bright light hit my eyes and I had to throw my hands up to shield them.

Once my eyes got used to direct sunlight I opened them and gazed around. It was a clearing full of flowers, climbers lined and wrapped themselves around the trees, the ground was scattered with stargazer, enchantment and black magic lilies as well as many others flowers I didn't recognize. Radarr was happily lapping away at the small creek that ran through the clearing.

Rays of sunlight broke through the canopy, making the flowers they hit glow with radiance and motes of pollen dance through the air.  
The jasmine climber's perfumed the air with a sweet smelling fragrance and the rose climbers they intertwined with were budding with shoots of every colour.

There was so much colour, I didn't know where to look first. I had never seen so many flowers in my life. Out of the corner of my eye I suddenly saw a silhouette standing by a weeping willow at the edge of the clearing, the outline of the shadow looked feminine and vaguely familiar but when I turned to look it was gone.


	5. Chapter 4

"Humph"

"Don't you 'humph' me. There will be no negative backchat whilst I'm driving the car."

I looked over to my left. "Technically I wouldn't classify it as backchat since I'm pretty sure it's a sound not a word."

Morgane smiled but kept her eyes locked on the road. "Whatever your definition is, it's an expression of your sulking."

I turned back around and leaned my head against my window. "I still don't know why I can't drive my motorbike."

"Because the forecast said it's going to be very rainy tonight and I do not want you driving home, all the way from the gym, in the rain."

I peered out of the front windscreen. The weather appeared fine if not slightly overcast.

"Yeah it looks real bad." I grumbled crossing my arms.

"You never know when things can go bad Aerrow."

I heard a catch in her voice and turned to look at her again. Her face now wore a frown which was a rare sight to see and her hands were tight around the steering wheel.  
"Driving at night is dangerous enough- And if it were raining…"

I instantly felt a stab of guilt. _'Of course… She's thinking about my father'_

"Anyway I need some help down at the grocer's with loading the car." And like that the sombre mood was broken. I smiled and settled back into my seat.

"You went shopping yesterday and you're already going back for more?" I shook my head, sometimes even I have trouble keeping up with Morgane.

"Yes a new delivery came in today. I wasn't expecting it till next week or so. Something about more availability.."

"You do realise your negating all the good you're doing in eating greens with all the petrol you're wasting."

***THWACK***

"OW!" I rubbed my arm in hopes to ease the pain. I playfully glared at my aunt. "Both hands on the wheel please. I will not be seen with an irresponsible driver."

"Coming from Mr Daredevil himself." She threw a smirk at me and turned back to the road. "Is there a reason why you seem a bit on edge?"

I froze in my seat, _'How did she..' _

I rolled my eyes as I realised, of course she could tell something was off about me, this is Morgane we're talking about. I frowned when I thought back to the reason I was so edgy, "Didn't sleep well last night."

I glanced out my window thinking back to the nightmare I had;

_I was scared. It was dark and I was running. Branches were hitting my body as I ran, my foot caught on something and I hit the dirt hard. I quickly scrambled to my feet but crumpled as pain flared up my right calf. I wanted to buckle to the ground and hold my leg in hopes the pain would go away but terror so tangible I could taste it, was engulfing me and pushed me on forward._

_I heard a loud cracking behind me as if numerous trees were falling; the sound spurred me on even faster. Pain was a constant presence in all parts of my body but I couldn't stop, whatever was behind me was worse than the pain._

_Suddenly something wrapped around my foot and dragged me to the ground, a starburst of pain flared in my head as it struck the ground. Everything started blurring and mixing together, I raised my hand to my head and hissed as the pain exploded again. I drew my hand away just as a sliver of moonlight shone through the clouds, making visible the red liquid smeared across it._

_I struggled and managed to roll onto my side.  
A dark figure loomed over me, shrouded in shadows.  
Blackness started to overtake my vision. _

_The figure raised their hand and said something. Then the darkness engulfed me. _

It wasn't till awhile after I woke up in a sweat, and managed to calm down, that I remembered what they'd said.

"_You can't run forever"_

I wasn't able to get back to sleep for hours.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

I shook my head, I didn't know how to explain it.

'_It's so weird.. Usually I'm a deep sleeper.' _ I sighed, it was the first nightmare I've had in awhile so it was a bit unsettling.

'_There was something off about it though'_ I mentally shook my head, there was no sense in obsessing over it.

I thought of something to appease Morgane's curiosity, "It was probably all the strange foods you've been force feeding me lately."

I quickly threw my hands up to fend off the slaps she aimed in my direction and laughed so hard my body shook when she replied;

"Radishes are not strange!"

**oOoOo**

I struggled to balance the bags as I loaded them into the boot of the car. I glanced back into the market and saw Morgane still discussing the shipment of a new 'super food' she'd recently found.

I finished packing and leaned against the side of the car. Unexpectedly something cold hit me on the arm, I raised it up to my face to examine it more closely.

It was a drop of water.

I peered out from under the veranda lining the main street. The sky was completely overcast with the clouds a dark shade of grey and a light mist of rain softly falling.

I smirked "Well what do you know- she was right."

I watched as people along the sidewalks started to duck into shops or make a run for their cars. Soon enough very few people were left on the street.

A flash of black caught my eye. Someone with their black jacket pulled over their head was jogging across the street.

They managed to dodge the few cars driving and stepped onto the footpath not far from where I was standing. They flicked their jacket a few times, ridding it of the excess water. The jacket settled back onto their shoulders and I stifled a gasp that threatened to escape from my mouth.

At first I thought the person was Piper but it was obvious that this person was definitely male.  
Their hand, the same complexion as Piper's, ran through shaggy blue-black hair. Sensing my stare, the person glanced to their right and locked eyes with me.

The man, who couldn't have been a few years older than me, stared me down with his dark brown eyes.

He raised an eyebrow as if questioning me. I then realised he must be wondering why I'm staring at him.

He looked me up and down appraisingly, then tilted his head to the side as if to examine me. I squinted my eyes, I can usually get a good read off of people and be a good judge of character but this guy was like stone, I had no idea what he was thinking.

Suddenly, as if convinced with what he saw he walked forward and brushed past me.

I turned my head to watch him go.

"Aerrow!"

I looked back around to see Morgane walking towards me smiling. "You ready to go?"

When I didn't answer straight away, she put her hand on my shoulder silently asking if I was okay.

I grasped her hand and smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, let's go."

I ushered her back to the car. As I opened my door I threw a last glance back down the street.

Further down the sidewalk the man with brown eyes stood, watching us. He gave me one last scrutinizing stare before turning around and walking away.

**oOoOo**

The rain was starting to fall heavier, I hadn't noticed until I stepped out of the car. I told Morgane I'd call her when I was ready to be picked up, then slammed the door shut and made a run for the gym's doors.

I pushed the door open and quickly shut it behind me.

"Hey Aerrow, glad you could make it."

I took off my jacket and shook the water out of my hair, causing it to spring up into its natural spikes. "A little rain couldn't keep me away."

Burner smiled. "Well we had a little bet going."

"On?"

"Whether your aunt would let you out of the house."

"She's never stopped me before."

"Precisely, I just thought I'd try and con some money outta the other guys."

I smirked and shook my head, the only thing more outrageous then Burner's bright orange mohawk, was his incessant need to bet on everything.

"Well gotta go, Blister's got me doing some heavy lifting out the back- oh hey! If you see your friend Finn around tell 'im he still owes me money from his last bet."

I laughed, Finn will never learn his lesson. "Sure thing."

I quickly ducked into the change room and changed my clothes. I packed everything back into my bag, slung it over my shoulder and walked back out into the gym.

I headed over to the mats. I dumped my bag on the side and started doing my warm up stretches, after a few minutes I started with my warm up drills before quickly making my way up to the more experienced flips, kicks and disarming techniques of sky fu.

Once I was happy with how I'd executed everything, I pulled my fingerless gloves out of my pockets and made my way over to the punching bags.

I practised all different kinds of punches, varying angle and power, after about ten minutes I then headed over to the high bars. I jumped up, grabbed one and started doing pull ups.

This was my training circuit. Ten minutes on the punch bag, then pull ups on the bar, followed by roundhouse kicks on the punch bag, and finally some sit ups. Then repeating it all over a couple of times.

Sometimes instead of my circuit I would go for a run in the woods out the back depending on the weather but there was no chance of that happening today.

"Hey Aerrow, might want to take it easy there."

I pause momentarily between kicks. "What do you want Carver?"

"I just heard a rumour that you've been asked to be the gym's representative at the competition. I mean, I know it couldn't possibly be true but I just wanted to ask why people would think a kid like you is qualified or skilled enough for that."

'_Ahhh-that's why…' _Carver had been training for the competition for months and had a firm belief he was the best fighter in the whole gym. He couldn't stand that someone younger than him was already at his level of training and difficulty. Carver was nineteen, which was only two years older than me but that fact seemed to only infuriate him more.

"Look Carver I don't really don't think the competition is that important. And whether I've been asked to or not is really none of your business."

Carver's face contorted into a mask of fury. _'Opps- wrong thing to say'_

He took a step forward and roughly poked me in the chest. "Now you listen here kid-"

"CARVER!"

Carver quickly took a step back and schooled his face into an expression of indifference. Blister came to a stop before us.

"I'll have no brawls in my gym, if any one wants to go all alpha male they'll have to take it somewhere else. Am I clear?" He levelled his gaze on Carver.

Carver smirked "Was just having a friendly conversation."

"I'm not blind mate, now I believe you're supposed to be in the sparring ring right now, am I right?"

Carver's smirk hardened but managed to stay intact, "I was just on my way." With that he turned around and marched away but not before he threw one more look of disgust over his shoulder at me.

"I'd appreciate it if you two school boys would take your rivalry back to the playground."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't let Carver hear you say that, he's very assertive over the fact that he's already graduated."

Blister fixed his gaze on me. "Well then he better start acting like it and not expecting to get his way all the time."

Blister is the only person Carver would even consider listening too, with his shaved head and nose ring he made for a pretty intimidating figure. But even then Carver liked to do things his own way most of the time.

"Anyway, where you at?"

I gestured behind me, "I'm almost done, just a few more circuits then I'll warm down."

"Get to it then and just so you know, I've got you sparring with the rattan sticks Tuesday."

"Sure, no worries."

I managed to get through the rest of my workout with no interruptions but on my last round through the circuit I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end- I could feel someone watching me.

I glanced around to see who it was, the gym was fairly quiet today, a few people in the sparring rings, a half a dozen on the treadmills and a handful scattered all over but they were all focused on what they were doing.

I shrugged my shoulders and started to warm down, it wouldn't be the first time this week I'd imagined something, namely the incident with Piper.

'_But I could have sworn that our hands- Woah back up! Dangerous territory!'_

I quickly shut down that train of thought, I didn't need to start thinking of Piper… again.

I finished warming down, hastily packed my bag and made for the exit, all the while trying to block out my thoughts regarding how beautiful her unique eyes were.

**oOoOo**

He watched as the boy glanced around the gym, he looked like nothing special, good stance and technique perhaps but he was a kid nonetheless. Too insignificant to interfere with their plans.

When the boy glanced in his direction, he increased the force of his strikes into the punch bag in order to appear like he was completely focused on what he was doing. The fool of a boy couldn't see that even though his back was to him, he was clearly observing him in the reflection of the glass.

The boy warmed down then quickly packed his things and proceeded to make his way to the exit. The man then stopped his attack on the punch bag and turned around to inspect the boy more closely.

The boy's appearance was unusual, with his spikey red hair and green eyes, but not so much so, that he warranted a second glance on the street. He had a dreamy look on his face that made it even more apparent, he was oblivious to the fact he was being observed.

The man continued to watch the boy as he made a call on his cell phone, until he disappeared through the entrance doors.

No, this boy was not one of them- but he seemed to hold an interest in the girl, so perhaps he could be of use in the future.

With that thought in mind the man turned back to the punch bag with renewed vigour, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass and smirked, which made his crimson red eyes flash dangerously.


	6. Chapter 5

"Aerrow Lightclaw!"

My head shot up and my bleary eyes focused on the woman standing at the front of the classroom glowering in my direction.  
"Ah, I have your attention. Now could you perhaps tell me what it is I was just saying to the class?"

My eyes quickly darted around the room, taking in the fact most of the class was now staring at me. I blinked my eyes a couple times in vain to try and reduce the fuzziness that lurked at the edge of my vision.

I hung my head slightly, "Sorry Ms. Fumora, I'm afraid I wasn't listening."

Ms. Fumora's frown deepened "I suggest Mr. Lightclaw getting your head out of the clouds and back in the classroom where it belongs." She said whilst staring at me intently.  
I soundlessly nodded back which seemed to appease her.

I wiped a hand across my eyes whilst Ms. Fumora resumed what she was saying to the class. I glanced over to my left to see Seth sitting in his usual seat across from me and intently watching me, he raised his eyebrows in question once he realized that he had my attention.  
I was well aware that I didn't look my best with the dark rings beneath my eyes and my hair just a tad messier then usual and that drifting off in class was unlike me, even if it was just English Literature.  
I shook my head in response to his gaze, there was no chance for an explanation with the space between our desks making it impossible to converse without getting caught, and a second lecture from Ms. Fumora didn't sound too appealing .

Seth eyed me a few seconds longer before returning his attention back onto what the teacher was saying. I then tried to utilize what little focus I had onto listening to what Ms. Fumora was announcing.

"Now class this assignment will be worth 25% of your final grade. You will be working with a partner and studying how a certain form of communication has changed over the past 2 centuries. What form of communication can be chosen by you and your partner. Any questions?"

About half a dozen hands shot up.

"And before anyone asks- I will be picking the partners."

A groan arose from the class and all but two of the hands went down. I glanced over at Seth who was writing down notes diligently, he was hunched over his desk so much so that his face was almost pressed against the tabletop and his long strands of black hair shrouded most of his face.  
I hoped I was paired with him- not only because he was the only one I shared this class with but because I knew Seth was the best partner to have in English. Although with all the death stares Ms. Fumora gives me I doubt that's likely to happen.

I waited patiently as she got out her list of partners and started announcing them one by one. When she got to my name it turned out I was in for a more unpleasant surprise than I expected.

"Aerrow and Harrier,"

I felt my eyes widen and I unconsciously glanced toward the blonde ponytail at the front of the class. Harrier turned his head and sneered in my direction.  
I restrained myself from rolling my eyes. This guy was a lot like Carver, except more well-mannered and just a tad more likeable but unfortunately his ego was just as huge.

'_Well at least I know he'll be a good partner, he's on the honours roll and we managed to work well together in gym last year after a rough start, so this shouldn't be-'_

"Seth and Piper."

My head shot up so fast I swear I heard my neck crack. My eyes immediately snapped over to the door where Piper was seated to see her casually glance up when she heard her name, from her paper that she hadn't stopped writing on since she stepped foot into class. I watched as she then calmly gazed around the room until her eyes settled on me, her emotionless gaze faltered slightly for a second as I swear I saw apprehension and guilt flash across her eyes before she quickly flicked her gaze to the left of me to land on Seth.

I quickly looked away to in an effort to make it look like I hadn't been staring at her, even though it was too late for that. My eyes landed on Seth who was openly staring at me, I realized that he had seen the entire exchange.

"Now class I will let you move desks and talk to your partners for the rest of the time we have today."

The noise of chairs scraping and paper rustling arose as people started to move around and talk. I realized Harrier wasn't going to move so with an eye roll and exaggerated sigh I stood up and collected my things while Seth smirked at my misfortune.

I smiled at Seth and turned to make my way to the front of the classroom only to find my way blocked by Piper who was clutching her books to her chest, standing right in front of me. My mind went blank for a second before I realized that she was trying to sit in my old seat. I stepped to the side and she quickly brushed past me.

As I walked towards Harrier I couldn't help but glance back over my shoulder to watch as Piper turned the desk so that she was facing Seth.

For the rest of English I was forced to endure Harrier's droning and while I know I should have been paying more attention, I found I couldn't help myself and spent most of my time glancing back to look at Seth and Piper who were in deep conversation and sharing small smiles with each other. And all the while I could feel my heart tighten painfully each time that happened.

**oOoOo**

I pulled my ride up in front of Greenborough's Animal Shelter. I quickly killed the engine and dismounted, no sooner had my feet touched the ground when-

"Hey buddy-boy! Long time no see eh!"

I smiled and turned around whilst peeling my gloves off my hands. "Hey Billy-Rex, couldn't help it- school's been a bit hectic lately."

Billy-Rex quickly pulled me into a one armed hug. "Eh- no sweat Red. Schools always been a bummer eh. Never gonna change."

I grinned and pulled away, "Well I'll just have to try stick it out then, won't I?"

"Or you could do what I did and leave eh? Life of freedom man."

I laughed "Without Suzi-Lu your life of freedom would have crashed and burned a long time ago."

A light blush coloured Billy-Rex's cheeks but that didn't stop the smile from spreading across his face. "What can I say eh? She's it for me man- I can't imagine my life without her. I can only hope you find a girl like that for yourself eh?"

Unbidden a vision of orange eyes flashed through my mind. I tried to stifle the heat I could now feel rising in my cheeks. "Uhhh anyway, where is Suzi-Lu? I better go ask what I can do to help."

Billy-Rex raised an eyebrow at my sudden topic change. "She's working the desk, I'll be off to feed the animals in the back- just be sure to come see me before you leave eh?"  
I nodded and waved as Billy-Rex took off around the side of the building. I made my way through the front automatic doors and dumped my schoolbag on the nearest chair since the Reception was empty as usual.

Suzi-Lu glanced up from the desk, she smiled and tucked a piece of her blonde hair that had come loose from its ponytail again, behind her ear. "Aerrow- so glad you made it eh."

I inwardly rolled my eyes, these two were peas in a pod. "So, want me to do my normal?"

She shook her head "Nah, the new girl is covering your food round. I want you to bring in some deliveries and take em out back- Billy will help you eh."

I raised my eyebrows _'Since when did we have a new girl?'_ But I managed to cover up my confusion. "Called me up just to do the heavy lifting- that's low even for you Suzi."  
She smirked at me, "It was that or you could clean out the cages, I thought I'd give it to ya easy- don't want to lose my favourite volunteer eh?"  
I laughed "I'll clean the cages after too- Just to make up for all the time I've missed."

"Don't know what I'd do without you eh. Sometimes I think you keep this place running."

"True but you gotta give yourself some of the credit, like 5%?" I quickly ducked the clipboard thrown at me and decided now was the time to bail. "I'm going-I'm going!"

I quickly found the supplies and started carrying them into the store room, I was on my fifth bag when I noticed I hadn't heard any barking from the dog section, I mean sure it was feeding time but still there should have been some yelps or whines.

"Hey Billy!" I called to get his attention. He pulled his head up from the mountain of dog food he was hidden behind. "What's up with the dogs?"  
He shrugged "I don't know eh. They been extra excited all day but they've hardly made a peep." He bent down and picked up a bag of dry dog food. "Here take this to the dog bin, it's getting a bit empty." I grabbed it "No worries, you got the rest of the deliveries?" He soundlessly nodded and waved me off.

I struggled a bit when I got to the dog kennel door, I had to balance the bag in one hand whilst trying to open it with the other, I used my back to prop open the door and walked in backwards hoping one of the dogs wouldn't trip me whilst out of its cage. I turned around and in my surprise immediately lost my grip on the bag. I quickly managed to catch it before it hit the ground, no doubt thanks to my reflexes but I could hardly get that thought through my head as there in amidst all the dogs was Piper.

Hearing my fumble with the bag she glanced up from where she was kneeling only to shoot to her feet when she saw me. "Aerrow!"

"You're the new girl?" I manage to spit out whilst in my state of shock. She nods silently. '_What? That's all I can say? Ugh I'm an idiot!"_

I'm pulled out of the moment by the burning pain in my arms, I quickly walk over to the bin and set the bag down beside it gently. I stood up straight and turned back towards Piper to see her playing with her fingers as if nervous. "I didn't know you work here."

"I don't," I respond automatically. "I volunteer here, whenever I can find the time." I offer as an explanation.

An awkward silence descends upon us with her once again avoiding any eye contact. "Do you want some help?" I offered, hoping it would help make her feel more comfortable.

She brushed a hand through her hair, and I couldn't help but be captivated by the motion. "How about I pick up the bowls?" I quickly spat out, snapping myself out of my trance. Slowly the edges of her lips turned upwards "Okay."

I quickly kneel down amidst the sea of tails and four legs and start to pick up the bowls whilst Piper starts to round the dogs back into their cages. To my amazement they all follow her quietly and without so much as a whine of disappointment, even the ones I usually have to chase around for quarter of an hour.

"How did you do that?" I ask unable to hide the awe from my voice. "What?" she asks as if generally confused.  
"Get them to do want you want- I've never seen anything like it."  
She gives me one of her rare smiles and kneels down next to me. "What do you reckon it is- My animal magnetism?" she asks whilst quirking an eyebrow.  
I play along, "I don't know maybe, you're pretty magnetic to people too."  
"Oh really?"  
"Well you are pretty amazing." To my surprise a tint of red appears on her cheeks and she quickly turns her head away and busies herself with collecting the rest of the bowls.  
"I don't know about that, I just relate better to animals then people most of the time."  
I quietly watch her for a few moments. She suddenly glances up and I follow her gaze to see Phoenix still out of his cage. She holds out her hand and quietly says "Here boy."  
To my utter shock he actually complies, getting up and coming over to Piper to nuzzle her hand.

"Now that is amazing! Phoenix is the grumpiest dog I have ever met and you've got him wrapped around your finger in one day." She continues stroking him but manages to glance at me from the corner of her eye. "He just needs a bit of understanding-that's all."

I watch in wonder at how she manages to get Phoenix into his cage without complaint but just as she's closing the latch he thrusts his face at the bars as if to get one last pet, the gate juts forward and the latch stabs up into Piper's hand. "Ahh!" She snatches her hand away, I catch a glimpse of red smeared across her palm. Before I know it I've quickly launched to my feet, shut Phoenix's kennel and rushed over and grabbed Piper's hand.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She smiles reassuringly and opens her fist "I'm fine Aerrow, see?" I incredulously look at her hand- it was fine, not even an indention.

"But I-"

A shrill ringing cuts through my sentence, Piper quickly fishes something out of her pocket. In my bewildered state it takes me a few moments to realize it's a mobile phone.

She turns to me and gives me an apologetic look "I really have to go- can you take care of anything I've forgotten." I absently nod my head.

"Thanks….It was really nice to see you again Aerrow." She hastily makes her to the door and disappears through it.

Her last statement keeps replaying in my mind and I can't help but grin at the thought that something had happened that for once didn't cause her to distance herself from me and perhaps this was the start to us being friends. With those happy thoughts I almost didn't catch the light glinting off of something in the corner of my eye. I made my way over to Phoenix's cage and peered closely at its latch.

Running down the wire was a single drop of blood.


	7. Chapter 6

"So let me get this straight- you didn't spend any time this weekend with Dove?"

I push my hand through my hair, aggravated. I glance away from the books I'm piling in my locker to levelly look Finn in the eyes. "I told you she asked me out last Wednesday and I haven't talked to her since."  
"And you did nothing for the whole weekend?" He asked skeptically  
"For crying out loud Finn! Can you leave him alone? He obviously never went out with Dove or has plans too in the future." Starling butted in.

I quickly shut my locker, grabbed Finn and steered him away from Starling. I lowered my voice so that no one would overhear what I said, "Listen buddy, if it bothers you so much , why don't you just ask her out?"

"What?" Fin exclaims really loudly, "Why would I do that? I'm the Finnster! I have the girls lining up to date me."  
I take a step back and raise my eyebrow at him. _'Well can't say I didn't try'_

"Is the melodrama over? I'm hungry and would like to go eat now." Seth drawled from his spot against the lockers.

***Grrrrrrrrr***

We all glanced in James direction, "Uh hehe, I'm a bit hungry too" He said whilst his cheeks turned a shade of pink.  
We all burst out laughing (except for Seth who just smiled) and the remaining tension in the air quickly vanished. "All right lets go." I said.

It was nice to finally have a scene of normalcy to surround myself with, after what happened at the shelter on Friday, I was a little concerned with apparently seeing things that weren't there. I had checked Phoenix all over for cuts and injuries but had found nothing.

'_But the blood had to have been Phoenix's didn't it?'_

Within a few minutes we were seated at our usual table outside and James was already halfway through demolishing his lunch, with Finn not far behind.  
Seth had his usual look of disgust on his face which he wears every time we were witness to this spectacle, whilst Starling and I were trying not to laugh.  
"I've lost my appetite." Seth states and pushes his lunch away from him  
I lean to my right to whisper to Starling, "surprise, surprise."

"Hey Seth."

I freeze, there was no mistaking that voice. I glance up to see even James and Finn frozen with food halfway to their mouth.  
I slowly manage to turn to my left and sure enough, there Piper stands at the end of our table.  
"Hey Piper." Seth replies as if this was an everyday occurrence, "Was there something you needed?"  
Her gaze flickers around the table and lands on me momentarily, but she quickly returns her gaze to Seth who was waiting patiently for a response.  
"I actually have something for you."  
I finally notice that one hand of hers is rummaging around in her strap bag. She pulls something out and holds it between her hands. "I was looking through some books we could use for our communication project and I found the one you told me really wanted to read."  
Seth's eyes widen, "You don't mean.."  
Piper nods and a small smile spreads across her face, "Merbian Darkness Poetry." She holds out the book towards Seth. His face is indescribable, in all my life I have never seen him smile so big.  
"I can't believe this… Thanks Piper!"  
She smiled gently, "Your welcome, I'll let you get back to your lunch now." She started to walk away.

"Wait!"

Piper whirled back around, at first I was shocked, had I said that? "We haven't been formerly introduced- I'm Starling." My anxiety quickly drained away when I realized it was Starling who had spoken.  
"It's nice to meet you, I'm obviously Piper."  
Starling smiled, she could be quite charming when not aggravated by Finn. "These two are James and Finn." She said whilst gesturing to them.  
"Hi." James said cheerfully, obviously having forgotten his earlier uneasiness in regard to Piper. Finn still had his mouth open from Seth's reaction, seemingly realizing this he quickly shut it and managed to spit out "Hey."  
Piper nodded in their direction, a moment of silence hung over the table before Seth asked, "Do you want to sit with us?"

Piper's eyebrows shot up, disappearing beneath her side fringe. "Uh…I..I don't want to impose."  
"Nah, we have plenty of room." James announced cheerfully.  
"Plus it would make it easier to work on our poetry assignment together." Seth added.  
Still looking unsure, Piper remained where she was standing.  
"Please? It would be a major relief to not be the only girl for once." Starling voiced.

"Okay."

She approached the table and slid into the only unoccupied space which happened to be to my left and directly across from Seth.  
The conversation quickly picked up again as everyone was intrigued with why the book was so important to Seth. I however was observing Piper silently watching everyone else, she glanced to her right and locked eyes with me, "Hey." I said quietly,  
"Hello again Aerrow." She replied.  
"I hope we didn't guilt trip you into staying."  
She shook her head "No, I was just concerned about intruding."  
"Don't worry, we don't mind." I said in what I hoped was a reassuring tone.  
She rewarded me with a smile before Seth pulled her into a discussion concerning their project and Finn was quick to pull me into a conversation about football. Soon enough everyone was laughing and talking and it barely felt as if Piper hadn't sat with us before.

**oOoOo**

For the next few weeks that was our routine, Piper sat with us every lunch and before we knew it we each had a special bond with her.  
Starling finally had another girl she could talk to and they quickly became as close as sisters.  
Piper was the only one Seth could talk to intelligently without receiving blank stares or having to simplify sentences, it turned out she was just as, if not more brilliant then Seth.  
James found it easiest to talk to Piper whenever something was troubling him, as Piper was always quick to reassure or help him in any way possible.  
And not mention Finn… As it turned out he proved he can annoy practically anyone, including Piper the most cool headed of us all. It seemed fine though with their relationship being more like brother and sister bickering.  
Piper and I got along much easier, even working together at the shelter a few times whenever we worked the same day. However I couldn't help but feel while she opened up to the others, she was still holding back from doing the same with me.

"Hey Aerrow- check out what we got!" I glanced up from the lunch I'd been eating to see Finn and James running up to the table with Finn proudly hoisting a football above his head.

"We were thinking Starling, James and Piper against me, you and Seth. You in?"

"Sure." I turned to look at the Piper and Starling who had stopped talking to listen to Finns announcement. "What about you?"  
"I'm in." Starling declared.  
Seth briefly glanced up from his book. "I'll pass."  
"Fine then how about girls vs boys, what do you reckon Piper?" Starling asked  
"Uhhh sure, what exactly are we playing though?" Piper questioned.

"KEEP AWAY!" Finn shouted before running off. The rest of us quickly took off after him.

Starling managed to slip past Finn and snatch the ball from him, she quickly passed it to Piper who ducked under James grab at her and threw it back to Starling. I saw my chance and ran towards her feinting to my left before darting to the right, diving to the ground, causing me to slide right beside her and pinch the ball from her hands. I quickly flipped to my feet and cartwheeled away when she made a grab for me. "Wohoo! Go Aerrow!" Finn shouted.  
Starling came for me again and I quickly threw the ball to James. Piper ran towards him, so he thrust the ball upwards and held it there above his head, confident she wouldn't be able to reach it. Piper didn't stop though she only smirked and kept running at full speed towards him. _'What is she doing?' _ A few steps before colliding with him she jumped into the air flipped over his head and plucked the ball from his hands before landing gracefully on the ground.

I faintly heard Finn run up from behind me, "Wow, where did she learn that?" I heard the awe in his voice and knew he was impressed, I sure was.

"Hey guys we still playing or what?"  
Our heads snapped in Starlings direction to see holding the ball and patiently waiting with Piper by her side.  
Not one to be shown up Finn quickly declared, "Yeah, Piper may have some moves but that's still not gonna save you from losing!"

The rest of the game continued to amaze me. Whenever Piper had the ball hardly anyone could touch her, she managed to flip or handspring herself out of any situation, not to mention she was deadly fast.

Finn suddenly threw the ball but it overshot James reach and landed almost at the end of the grass. I glanced at Piper who was right next to me, we shared a look before making a break for the ball. We both raced towards it, matching stride for stride. I reached to ball a step before Piper and started to scoop the ball up before Piper collided into me.

We went rolling in a tumble of limbs and came to a stop with Piper lying a few feet away from me on her stomach, while I was sprawled flat on my back. I heard chuckling from her and I couldn't help but laugh too when I realized how ridiculous we must have looked. We were still laughing as I pulled myself up into a sitting position and turned to ask if she was okay, only to have Piper's face loom suddenly in front of mine. Whilst I was sitting up, Piper had already propped herself up and was sitting with her legs to the side.

Our faces were so close I could see every fleck of orange in Piper's eyes as well as the fullness of her lips, even though I tried not to notice the latter.  
The rest of the world seemed to melt away until it was just us. I couldn't tear my eyes away, nor did I want to. I felt something unspeakable pass between us and somehow I knew she was feeling it too.

"Are you two alright?" The moment was suddenly over and the world came flooding back in. My head jerked to the side to see the others running over to us.

"Yeah we're fine." Piper reassured them whilst hoisting herself to her feet, I quickly stood too. The bell suddenly rang, cutting through the air like a knife.

Fin started to jump up and down whilst pumping his fists in the air, "Yes boys won! Yeah baby!"

I glanced down and sure enough, there in my hands I was still clutching the ball.

Starling crossed her arms "Yeah, well we'll get you next time won't we Piper?"  
"Definitely." Piper answered. She glanced around and locked gazes with me, suddenly a look of regret washed over her face, she quickly broke eye contact and turned back towards the others. "I have to run, I can't be late. I'll see you all later." With that she ran off, quickly collecting her bag from the table before disappearing into the crowd.

"Hey Aerrow, toss the ball? I have to get it back before class."

I wordlessly tossed the ball to Finn who quickly took off in the direction of the gym. Starling and James made their way towards the table whilst I stood there, trying to figure out what I'd done to elicit that look from Piper.

'_It's almost like the look she gave me in English the day we were given our assignments, but what happened? It's as if every time something happens between us-'_

My train of thought cut off when a glint of light from the grass caught my eye. I bent down to examine it, lying in the grass attached to a length of cord was a highly polished diamond like crystal the size of my hand. I picked it up and watched as the sun bounced off and reflected through the beautiful stone.

The second bell rang out. Realizing I was now officially late for class I quickly pocketed the crystal and ran all the way to class, grabbing my bag along the way.

**oOoOo**

The rain was coming down in a soft drizzle. Morgane was already on her way to pick me up but was running late due to the car refusing to start.

I stood beneath the veranda watching the rain fall quietly onto the road, the school was practically deserted but I didn't mind, it gave me a chance to think.

I really hoped whatever had occurred between me and Piper wouldn't cause her to withdraw into herself again, I couldn't bear it if after the last few weeks she started avoiding us, or more specifically me.

'_This isn't healthy, why do I feel so attached to her? Why is it she's all I can think about? Why-'_

A hollow creaking distracted me from my thoughts; I glanced behind me to only to see Piper coming out the front doors. She froze once she spotted me, I thought I glimpsed a look of panic cross her face but it was gone so quickly I couldn't be sure.

"Hey." I said in hope to break the awkward tension that seemed to descend upon us.

"Hi." She slowly started to move towards me, which I took as a good sign. She stopped once she stood right beside me.

"So what are you still doing here?" I asked since I thought I'd been the only one left waiting.  
She refused to make eye contact with me, "I was just looking for something I lost. What about you?"  
"My aunt's picking me up, she doesn't like me walking in the rain." I explained, I noticed while she wouldn't look at me there was an undeniable expression of sadness and pain present on her face. "What did you lose?"  
Piper finally turned to look at me and I had to restrain myself from gasping, the pain written across her face was so raw, it felt physically painful just to witness it.  
"My necklace. I know it sounds silly but it meant a lot to me and without it-" She cut herself off and ducked her head allowing her hair to shroud her face.

I felt a feeling wash through me that I hadn't experienced since the day I was told my parents would never be coming home. I took a step forward in order to comfort her when I felt something hard poke me in the hip. Confused, I brushed my hand alongside my pocket, only to feel something hard beneath the fabric. It suddenly hit me- the crystal!

I fished it out of my pocket and let it dangle between us by the cord it was attached to. "Is this what you were looking for?"

Piper's head snapped up, her eyes landed on the crystal and a look of relief and joy flooded her expression. She raised her hands as if to touch it but they stopped mere centimeters away from its surface "Where did you find it?" She exclaimed.

"I found it on the ground after you left at lunch, it must have come off when we collided."  
She cupped hands and I let the crystal fall into them. She held it close to her chest and squeezed her eyes tightly shut. After a few moments she opened her eyes and looked at me as if for the first time during the whole conversation, "Thank you Aerrow."

Her gaze rendered me speechless and all I could do was nod soundlessly in response. I watched as she tied the cord around her neck and gazed down lovingly at the crystal before pushing it underneath her neckline.

'_Well that explains why I've never seen it before.'_

A roaring sound suddenly made itself known in my ears, startled I glanced to the road to see it now bucketing down.

Suddenly a car pulled into the road and stopped right in front of us. The passenger door opened to reveal Morgane leaning across from the driver's seat, I could tell she was about to ask me to get in when she spotted Piper next to me. "Hello there, I'm Morgane, Aerrow's aunt."  
"Morgane this is Piper." I replied whilst gesturing to her.  
"It's very nice to meet you." Piper called out, raising her voice in order to be heard over the rain.

"How are you getting home Piper?" Morgane asked. My eyes widened, how did that thought not occur to me before?  
"I was just going to walk."  
"Don't be ridiculous! Hop on in, we'll give you a ride."  
"Oh no that's alright, I can't go home until my brothers back from work anyway as we're still getting a second pair of keys cut."

I turned my body to face Piper. "We'll give you a drive, while you're waiting you can have dinner with us."  
Piper turns to look at me and scrutinizes me for a moment . "Okay." She walks forward and opens the door and slides into the back seat. I quickly walk through the rain and hop into the still open passenger seat.

The drive home Morgane bombards Piper with questions, enough to drive anyone crazy but Piper answers them all politely and before long they discover a common passion of healthy foods. And Piper persuades Morgane into letting her cook dinner in order to repay us for the lift.

"That would be lovely Piper, though you don't have to if you don't want to."  
Pipers smiles for the first time since she ran off at lunch, "It would be my pleasure."  
"We're here." Morgane announces.

She quickly pulls into the garage and we all get out and walk into the house. "Now I'm going to go put my stuff away, Aerrow can you show our guest to the kitchen?"

"Sure," I smile. "This way."  
We start walking down the hallway when a string of barks and thudding of paws reaches our ears. Radarr rounds the corner but stills and grows silent the moment he sees Piper.

"Piper this is Radarr, Radarr this is Piper." I say making introductions. I catch a glimpse of Piper smiling from the corner of my eye and I can tell she's amused at the formal introduction.

Radarr stands still for a moment longer before barreling toward Piper and jumping up and lathering her with kisses.

"Woah boy, down!" Ignoring me Radarr keeps jumping up, I grab his collar and pull him away. Embarrassed I duck my head "Sorry, he's usually not so friendly."  
Laughter reaches my ears and I glance up to see Piper trying to contain herself, it was the first time I'd heard her laugh and it was the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard.  
"Trust me, I've had far worse. Now, shall we find the kitchen? Radarr can come too if he wants."

I nod dumbly due to my lack of coherent thought and lead her to the kitchen, with Radarr trailing after her like a little puppy.

Piper whips up a magnificent dinner and unlike Morgane actually makes it taste delicious as well. I caught Radarr more than once trying to steal something off the table, something he's never tried with Morgane's healthy foods.

"That was delicious Piper, now you two can go and enjoy yourself in the lounge room whilst I clean up." Morgane declares.

I stand up, "That's okay Morgane I'll help."  
Shaking her head, "We can't leave our guest by herself, no leave it to me." She says resolutely. "Or do I have to chase you out with a tea towel again?" With that said Morgane collects the plates and disappears into the kitchen.

I turn to Piper, "Sorry about that."  
Piper smiles at me reassuringly, "Don't be, being a family is nothing to be ashamed of."  
Smiling, I stand and say "Come on, I'll show you the lounge."

I lead her across the hallway and into the lounge.  
"Wow these are a lot of trophies."  
I glance behind me to see Piper standing in front of our shelves filled with sky fu trophies. She turns to look at me, "Are these all yours?" she asks gesturing towards them.  
"No," I shake my head, walking over to stand next to her. "Most of them are my fathers."  
She bends down and squints her eyes, I realize she's trying to read the inscription. "Lightning Strike?" she asks.  
I smirk "Yeah, that's what everyone called him. They said he was as fast as lightning."

"So you're following in his footsteps? I must say I'm impressed, you showed some pretty good moves today." Piper pulls away from the shelves and walked further down the wall to examine some the family photos hung there. Following her I ask, "What about you? You've got some pretty nice moves yourself."  
"A friend of the family taught me. He thought it would be best that I be able to take care of myself after what happened to my parents." I raise my hand to place it on her shoulder but she quickly moves away.

"I noticed you didn't ride your motorbike to school today, you hardly ever do that."  
Surprised at the sudden turn in conversation, I tried to muddle my thoughts together for an answer. "The forecast said rain so Morgane insisted on driving me."  
"I suspected as much- why is that? You don't seem irresponsible, if not a little daring."  
I smirked, "I didn't know I was being analyzed."  
A light blush lit her cheeks, I laughed. "I'm not mad. My aunt… She doesn't like the rain much."  
Tilting her head to the side Piper asks "Can I ask why?"  
"My parents were rescue workers, they died whilst helping in a flood rescue effort."  
I steeled myself waiting for the typical reaction of pity and stream of condolences which I had received so many times. When it remained silent I glanced up to see Piper looking at me, but not with the pity I was so used too, but with understanding. "I'm sorry Aerrow, I know what it's like to lose your parents."  
I smile softly and grab her hand and guide her over to a certain part of the wall. I point at one picture in particular. "That's my parents there."

Piper steps closer in order to examine it, I watch her as she does. Somehow I know this is something I want to share with her. "People tell me I'm a lot like them. I don't know, I don't remember them much. I was five years old when it happened. The sky fu, it's one of the few things I remember doing with my Dad."

Piper turns to look at me. We spend a moment staring at each other, I don't know what she's thinking but her gaze makes me feel warm and calmer.

Her hand reaches down and pulls out the crystal necklace that I gave back to her.  
"My mother gave me this necklace- it's all I have to remember her by now, that's why it's so precious to me."

"What about your brother?"

"He's my half-brother, my mother was his as well in all the ways that matter but…"  
"It's nice to have a material object left to remind you that they did exist." I finish for her.  
"Exactly."

I don't know how long we stood there staring at each other but the thing I knew our arms were wrapped around each other and I was holding her to me tightly.

She fit perfectly into my arms. Feelings of tranquility and bliss flooded through my body as if I'd finally gotten a part back of myself that I never knew I'd lost. And the one thought that kept repeating itself in my head was _'Don't let go'_

I started to stroke her hair when I felt her shake her head. "No Aerrow don't. Please don't."  
I pulled away slightly but kept my hands on her shoulders.  
"What's wrong?"  
Still shaking her head Piper replied, "Everything. Why? Why did you have to be so wonderful?"  
"Piper…"

"Piper! Are you ready to go?" Pulling away from me Piper turned to call back. "Yes Morgane- I'll be right there!"

Piper turns back to look at me, "We should forget this happened- its better this way. Goodbye Aerrow."

Before I could say anything she was gone, leaving me standing there alone, wondering once again what had just happened?


End file.
